


in these fading days

by delicatty



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Fluff, M/M, based on the game, dorks being dorks, super cliché time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 17:52:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2661047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatty/pseuds/delicatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi watches Hibiki fall for Yamato.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in these fading days

**Author's Note:**

> it's been forever since i posted any of my writing, but i really wanted to add to the tiny collection of desu2 fic. so, here's a dumb fic mostly about hibiki and yamato, but also a lot about daichi because i love that dork.
> 
> this is based on the game and fairly faithful to it, so a lot of lines are right out of the game itself - although i've taken liberties. it's also unbeta'd. enjoy?

**SUNDAY**

It’s coming close to 4 in the afternoon on a Sunday and Daichi, inexplicably, is being led into a secret facility. It sounds like something out of a movie, something _exciting_ , but in truth, he’s just nervous. Hibiki’s a steady presence at his shoulder and Io tremors on the other side of him. The woman – Makoto – has her back to them. She’s looking at something else. Someone else.

“Sako. You’re late. Hm?”

Daichi has never seen such an androgynously beautiful man in his life. Not only is he a looker, but he has tremendous presence. _And_ he looks ticked off. Daichi shrinks back. Hell, even Makoto shrinks back, just a little.

Daichi, out of the corner of his eye, sees Hibiki stiffen.

The man – Yamato Hotsuin, chief of JP’s – is talking to Makoto. But he’s watching them, the civilians, all steely eyes. Daichi’s looking at the ground, Io too. Hibiki, Daichi thinks, is bearing the pressure of meeting that gaze all alone.

* * *

“Anyhow,” Daichi’s saying as the four of them, Hibiki, Io, Joe and himself, trudge along. Hibiki’s out in front – apparently he still has energy to spare even after all they’ve been through with Dubhe and demons and random earthquakes. “That Yamato guy sure was a jerk. We help out with the whole demon thing and he tries to throw us into a cell? Man, if I had the guts, the things I would say to him…”

Io hums a sound that might be agreement. Hibiki’s silent for a long moment, enough to make Daichi think he doesn’t have anything to say at all. But then: “Maybe he was justified,” Hibiki says quietly, not bothering to turn around or anything. “Who knows what kind of trouble he’s been having with this app? It can be a pretty deadly weapon in the wrong hands, if you think about it.”

“Ugh, Hibiki. Why do you have to go and say stuff like that?” Daichi groans. It’s not like he’ll ever be able to argue back without Hibiki proving him wrong. Sort of sucks, sometimes, having a best friend so much smarter than he is.

That’s when they find the truck, and that’s when Dubhe strikes yet again.

Truth is, Daichi’s super grand and heroic moment? Crashing the truck into Dubhe, thus weakening it and leading to its defeat? It isn’t anything he planned, or even thought about. One moment he’s backing the truck like his life depends on – well his life _does_ depend on it. Next moment he’s screaming his lungs out with a “ _TAKE THAT_ ” or something along those lines, throwing open the door and leaping, scrabbling for purchase.

So, understandably, it takes him a little while to calm down. And to realise his predicament, stuck hanging off a broken railway, feet dangling, without the upper body strength necessary to haul himself up. Damn it, he’s not some star athlete.

“Help me out, Hibiki!” he yells once the fight’s done.

“Sheesh, fine,” Hibiki’s replying, but even from where he’s hanging Daichi sees the open relief on Hibiki’s face and feels gratified.

That’s when Yamato chips in, “Sako, go assist that boy.”

“No, w-wait. I don’t need any help. I’d rather stay here, actually. Don’t lock me up, no thanks,” Daichi yelps, swinging his legs wildly. That’s not helping him at all. He clenches a little tighter to the rail.

“Hahaha.” Is that… a _laugh_ from Yamato? Daichi glances back down, incredulous. Indeed, there’s Yamato, somewhat smiling, standing right in front of Hibiki. Yamato meets Daichi’s stare for a moment before turning to the other boy. “Don’t worry, any doubts we had about you have been cleared. Your actions are praiseworthy. Sako – I believe we can afford them food and shelter for the night. It’s dangerous, even for such talented civilians as yourself.”

When Daichi’s finally on the ground again, he finds Hibiki rosy-cheeked. _Wow_ , he thinks. _He sure is glad I’m safe!_

* * *

**MONDAY**

Hibiki doesn’t react to any of this crazy shit in the same way as the rest of them. That’s to be expected, Daichi knows. Has known Hibiki for such a long time, knows that he has little fondness as far as family is concerned. Joe’s rather apathetic too, but Hibiki’s apathetic in a way that makes Daichi want to slap him, just a little.

Hibiki’s been gung-ho about the whole demon situation from the very beginning. Even when Daichi’d complained about it yesterday, he’d been all, “Nah, we can use this to our advantage. At least we’re not powerless.” And then, of course, Io went and agreed. Great. Way to make Daichi feel all cowardly when, hey, isn’t he the only one here having a rational reaction to the sudden news that demons are a thing and they’re wrecking his entire _city_?

“It’s not like I even got to see the house, or my parents anyway,” Daichi sighs. “So, no use in thinking the worst, right?”

“Nah,” Hibiki says simply. “They’re fine. No need to worry.”

 _Yeah, but you were never worried,_ Daichi thinks resentfully as Hibiki patiently leads him away. _No… he seems happy, even._

It’s not long after that that Hibiki gets a phone call – a phone call which, considering the circumstances, should be impossible. The group crowds around him nervously as he picks up.

“Hello, Hibiki speaking? Oh, Chief Hotsuin. What can I do for you?”

He sounds unusually smooth, Daichi thinks. Hibiki isn’t the type to be so emotive with his voice over the phone. It’s like he’s… sucking up to a teacher, or something. Daichi grimaces at the thought. No, no, Hibiki’s right, they need to respect the Chief or they might get thrown in jail again.

Obviously, that’s all there is to it.

* * *

They head over to meet Yamato for the trip to Osaka, none of them sure what to expect. Daichi sure doesn’t expect to see the frightening display of power from Yamato as he summons some monstrous wolf of a demon and swiftly disposes of the other demons that have crowded around.

“Hmm… that’s it?” Yamato says, flipping his phone shut, flipping his fringe off his face. Easy, breezy… Daichi shakes his head, trying to clear it. What can he even say, after seeing _that_? Daichi’s demons are itty-bitty and pathetic in comparison. Turns out, he doesn’t need to bother commenting.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” That’s Hibiki, all nonchalant. Daichi has to wonder if it’s feigned or not, because _seriously_?

Yamato’s lips curve into an oddly delighted sort of half-smile. “Yes… how long has it been since I’ve had to wait for someone? You’re interesting.”

And there’s Hibiki, hiding a smug smile behind a hand. Oh, _come on_ , just because his snarky comment paid off. He totally got lucky that he didn’t offend Yamato.

Later on, on the train, Joe whispers to Daichi in a funny, knowing sort of voice, “Didn’t catch Yamato calling any of _us_ interesting, huh?”

Daichi, yet again, is speechless.

* * *

Daichi kind of wonders why Yamato gives their little ragtag group so much attention when he has a whole organisation at his beck and call and so much to deal with. Yet here he is, asking about how their sightseeing in Osaka went.

Hibiki hums thoughtfully. “I can’t really say,” he tells Yamato. “I mean, we saw a lot, but not enough to judge the scope of this disaster, right?”

“Correct,” Yamato says with a slim smile, but then he’s showing them the _scope_ of the disaster, showing them cities devastated. Daichi wants to vomit as Yamato coldly intones words like _calamity_ and _crisis_. Io’s similarly stricken, her face white, but Hibiki’s expression is just flat. When Daichi can’t bear it anymore, he sprints from the room, no one even lifting a hand to stop him.

Later on, Hibiki finds him.

“I keep thinking, this is just… a dream…” Daichi says, looking up at the sky. “Hey, pinch me, would ya?”

Hibiki does.

“ _Ouch_! Hey, not that hard.”

“Guess you’re not dreaming, then,” Hibiki says patiently. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, I suppose not.” Daichi looks down at where he’s scuffing the ground idly with one foot. “What does the future even hold, then? Are we all going to die? And if we don’t… then what? We have to rebuild from this?”

“I can’t answer any of that,” Hibiki replies, but his voice is gentle and he’s got a comforting hand on Daichi’s shoulder. “But… cheer up, why don’t you?”

Daichi grits his teeth. Doesn’t want to lash out, even when he feels this crap. Not at Hibiki. “Sorry, man… don’t know if I can, right now.” Hibiki’s face falls. Daichi scratches his head. “I must be the only one whining like this, huh? How’re you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” Hibiki says straight away. “Don’t worry about it.”

And the weirdest thing is, it’s totally genuine. Daichi scrubs a hand through his hair. “Damn. I don’t know how you have it in you… Yamato already totally thinks you’re a hero. You’re probably the only reason why we’re getting special treatment.”

It’s not unheard of for Hibiki to flush at compliments, but it always makes Daichi feel pretty smug to get a reaction out of his friend. Now, Hibiki’s ducking his head, biting his lip, biting back a smile. “You think so?” he says. Daichi wants to resent that Hibiki doesn’t even bother to stick up for the rest of them, but he doesn’t have the heart.

“Well, yeah. But… I’m not like you… I…” Daichi, suddenly, feels quite ready to throw up again.

“You can talk to me,” Hibiki says fiercely and Daichi, smiling despite his watery eyes, remembers exactly why he calls this guy his best friend.

* * *

Daichi returns to the JP’s headquarters a little while after Hibiki, wanting the time alone just to try to _process_ everything. He’s not really sure where he’s going to go once he enters the facility – probably find Hibiki, even though he’s not returning any of the texts Daichi’s sending.

He finds out why quickly enough – the moment he steps out of the elevator into the entrance hall, actually. Hibiki’s busy talking. Talking to Yamato.

“Actually, the Hotsuin family have lead JP’s for generations. I am, of course, no exception,” Yamato’s saying. He looks open and relaxed.

“You must be fairly powerful, then,” Hibiki says. He’s got a hand on his hip and he’s leaning in to listen to what Yamato’s saying. Neither of them have noticed Daichi yet.

Then Yamato explains something about a ‘dragon stream’ that, while sounding very cool, goes straight over Daichi’s head. Hibiki, all the while, nods seriously and makes impressed noises in exactly the right places. Yamato looks pretty delighted about this.

“So that’s why I am Japan’s shadow. I protect this country,” Yamato finishes, flourishing a hand. Daichi wants to wince at just how dramatic it is.

“Well, since I have this power now… I’ll do my part!” Hibiki says fiercely, clenching his fists. Okay, maybe Yamato can be excused, because Hibiki’s the _really_ cringeworthy one here. That was basically like a line right out of one of those stupid action movies Daichi loves.

Despite this, Yamato goes along with it. Seems pretty taken in by it, in fact. “Well, if your potential is all it seems, I’ll gladly accept whatever you offer,” he says with a cool smile. He offers a hand to Hibiki, who clasps it in a firm handshake. Then, Yamato’s face is relaxing into a smile. “By the way, Kuze…”

Then, Daichi’s practically leaping out of his skin, because alarms are blaring and the entire room is flashing red. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that this is some sort of emergency. All thoughts of Hibiki and Yamato’s sudden camaraderie flee Daichi’s mind as he rushes forward to grab hold of Hibiki’s arm. Hibiki jumps visibly. Daichi, with his tight grip on Hibiki’s wrist, can feel his racing pulse.

“What’s going on?” Daichi demands.

“Just listen,” Hibiki snaps.

Daichi does. Yamato’s barking orders, trying to make sense of the sudden pandemonium. Turns out it’s another monster like Dubhe. Daichi wants to hide in a corner and shrivel up. No matter all his boasting, he hardly wants to be saving the day _again_.

“Kuze, you’re in command! I’ll head north. You approach from the south and defeat Merak!” Yamato declares. _Wait, what_? Daichi thinks. _Just like that? Forget all the_ actual _JP’s members because Hibiki’s just that much of a treasure_?

Daichi's almost forgotten that he’s still holding onto Hibiki’s wrist. The other boy’s pulse quite obviously jumps at Yamato’s declaration. Is he nervous? What’s he going to say?

“Understood!” Hibiki’s voice is clear and resounding. Daichi wonders just when he got so very left behind.

* * *

It seems like everyone’s having misgivings about Hibiki being in charge, but the boy himself is ignoring it all. He stands out in front of everyone else, staring at the imposing figure of Merak, phone at his ear as Yamato relays information.

“What’s Chief thinking, putting an outsider – and a kid at that – in charge?” one uniformed woman is snapping.

“I’ll say. I bet it’s because he’s probably the same age as Chief Hotsuin,” another JP’s woman replies. “Our leader’s trying to make a friend. Yeah, right. As if that’ll ever work. That guy’s way too cold to ever have a friend.”

If Daichi was a tougher guy, he’d turn to them and tell them to pipe down. As it is, he just grits his teeth and shares a fearful look with Io.

“I think he’ll be fine,” she says. “He’s strong. And I’m sure the Chief has good judgement.”

“But he’s just a normal guy,” Daichi mutters.

As it turns out, there's no need for everyone to be so worried. Hibiki pulls it off – is the one to strike down Merak, his two demons – both shiny and new, fused only hours earlier – rushing forward with him. So, Yamato’s totally right. Daichi’s best friend is suddenly decent at tactics and at taking stuff down with… with _phone magic_.

And when Yamato appears, all smirks, praising their (Hibiki’s) efforts, Hibiki just flicks his (damn messy) hair and says, “No problem at all.”

 _Just what’s going on with you_? Daichi laments inwardly.

* * *

**TUESDAY**

Daichi’s scared shitless. He’s furious. His hands are purple red, bruised and burned from the ropes. He’s exhausted from all the futile struggling he did. And he’s humiliated, because _everyone_ , all his friends, got to see his pathetic display as victim. Yeah, he was kidnapped by some random civilians and held hostage. And he couldn’t do a thing about it. _Funny, right?_

“If it wasn’t for JP’s I’d never have been put in this situation,” he snaps at Hibiki. He shouldn’t be snapping, not really. Hibiki’s been great, not so sympathetic that it makes Daichi feel even worse, but totally understanding about it.

“No,” Hibiki retorts, because yeah, he’s JP’s golden boy. “Blame that Ronaldo Kuriki guy. Let’s kick his ass!”

“Wait, does that mean…?” Io says.

Hibiki turns to the rest of the group. “Yeah. We’re going to take back JP’s.”

It’s funny cause Hibiki’s never been a leader before this. Here, in the midst of all the devastation, he’s shining in a way that Daichi never expected he would.

As everyone else is going on about the prospect of facing other people – they’re so _excited_ – Daichi turns to Hibiki. “To be honest, I don’t know if I want to do this,” he admits.

“Get pumped!” Hibiki returns. When he looks at Daichi, his eyes are practically sparkling.

“Gee, you’re as bloodthirsty as they are,” Daichi says drily, trying to hide his nerves. But Hibiki’s already off, stalking towards the command room.

Ronaldo’s not much of a challenge, as far as things go. He and his civilian gang are outnumbered, and the JP’s force is doubtlessly stronger. Ronaldo’s down on one knee, wincing after a particularly vicious blast of fire magic from Hibiki. He’s done, his demons long gone. Yet he still blusters on and on, stuff like, “I can’t be defeated! I won’t lose to the likes of you!”

“You’re the evil one here,” Hibiki interrupts finally, raising an eyebrow. “What good is it to bring down the organisation that’s actually trying to deal with this crisis?”

“Yeah right!” Ronaldo retorts. “The evil is in serving that… that _Hotsuin_.” He spits the word Hotsuin as if it’s blasphemous.

“Well, you can-“ Hibiki begins, and Daichi suspects that something very rude would have come out of his mouth if not for the sudden shaking of the ground.

Phecda arrives. Ronaldo, to everyone’s surprise, stands up and draws his phone like it’s a sword.

“What are you doing? You’re the enemy!” Hibiki yells, even as Phecda bears down on them.

“Relax, kid, it’s only temporary. I’d never cooperate with the willing lapdogs of Hotsuin,” Ronaldo spits.

 _Hey, we’re not_ all _willing lapdogs,_ Daichi thinks. But as he watches the fury with which Hibiki attacks Phecda, he has to wonder if Ronaldo sort of has a point.

* * *

“Hey, what do you think of what Ronaldo said about Yamato?” Daichi asks Hibiki later. He’s hanging out in Hibiki’s room, both of them sitting cross-legged on the bed.

“What do you mean?” Hibiki says cautiously.

“Well, that we shouldn’t trust him, and that he’s up to something.” Daichi tilts his head and examines Hibiki’s face. He maintains a pretty calm expression, but…

“I think, while we can’t really prove him wrong, we can’t prove him right, either,” Hibiki says slowly. “Personally, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t trust Yamato. What’s he done so far but work hard to prevent demons and Septentriones from overrunning the cities?”

“Well, I guess you’re right,” Daichi says thoughtfully. “So we should forget what Ronaldo said, is what you’re saying?”

“For now, yeah. Yamato’s a good guy, I think.”

“You two certainly do get along,” Daichi says with a chuckle. “Hey, don’t forget _I’m_ your best friend, right?”

Hibiki gives him a tiny smile. “Of course not.”

* * *

**WEDNESDAY**

Megrez arrives far too early in the morning for anyone’s liking, but for all Daichi’s worries, it’s an easy win. Hibiki, despite still wearing his puffy early-morning bitchface, hasn’t even broken a sweat. He musses his hair – Daichi winces at the sight of those curls tangling even further than they already are – and then starts at the shrill blare of his own cellphone. Daichi snorts, amused. Their _noble_ leader shows his true colours.

“Hello, Hibiki speaking…yes, but we only beat one of them. The reports said… oh? It’s all taken care of? Well, that’s good to hear…” Hibiki’s sour expression evaporates as he talks. _Look at him, getting all serious about this,_ Daichi thinks. “It wasn’t difficult at all,” Hibiki continues after a long pause. “I’m kind of uneasy about it, actually… yeah, thanks. Thank you.” Hibiki scratches his nose in a funny, flustered sort of way before pocketing the phone.

“Was that Yamato?” Daichi asks. Hibiki nods.

“Why didn’t he call Makoto?” Io wonders. “She’s right here, after all.”

“Chief Hotsuin doesn’t care about titles or status or actually being a part of JP’s,” Makoto says. “He only recognises strength. I’ve known that for a long time, so I don’t resent that he’d rather speak to you, Kuze.”

“Er… thank you,” Hibiki replies.

And they leave it at that.

* * *

Daichi’s in a pretty good mood, for once. Even if Hibiki’s not keen on talking about how they’d managed to spy on the girls’ physicals, going faintly red and laughing nervously every time Daichi brings the topic up, Joe’s just as into it as Daichi is. They’re quite happily discussing bust-sizes, Hibiki hiding his face behind his hands and muttering at them to talk about something else. Daichi ignores him.

“Wasn’t it great, Hibiki? Seeing Io’s perrrrrrrrrfect body?” Daichi teases cheerfully. Hibiki snorts just as Io herself suddenly appears practically out of nowhere. _Shit_.

“You boys sound like you’re having fun,” she says, clasping her hands and offering a smile of her own. “So what’re you doing?”

“W-we’re just talking!” Daichi manages to say, glancing frantically between Joe and Hibiki. Except Joe’s just smirking nonchalantly and Hibiki’s got that look on his face like he’s about to tell a joke or play some dumb prank. That never goes well. Not ever.

“We’re reporting our finds,” Hibiki says in a perfect monotone. Daichi resists the urge to kick him.

“Uh, that’s right. See, we just finished a mission, and-“

“You two are acting pretty funny,” Io giggles. “I heard you earlier… what was so _perfect_?”

 _How much did you hear?_ Daichi screams inwardly.

“And you said it all funny too. Come on, I wanna know,” Io implores.

“I only talk like that when… never mind,” Daichi mumbles, flustered. Then he looks at Hibiki. _Please help._ Hibiki raises an eyebrow.

“He meant…Y-yamato,” Hibiki says finally, stumbling over his words. Daichi rolls his eyes. _I-idiot, that’ll never work-_

“Oh, fair enough,” Io says thoughtfully. “He is pretty perfect, huh? And he’s so young, too. It makes me sort of jealous sometimes when I think about how he’s younger than us…”

“Ahaha, yeah, he sure is accomplished, huh?” Daichi says weakly. He can’t believe it. Did Hibiki really just get him out of this mess? Now, _that’s_ a best friend. Daichi’s about to clap Hibiki proudly on the shoulder when Joe interjects.

“Oh god, I can’t hold it in any longer. That’s just too funny. Like that excuse would ever work for _you_ , Daichi,” he says with a chortle.

“ _I will kill you,_ ” Daichi hisses under his breath as he drags Joe away, leaving a rather bewildered Io with Hibiki.

* * *

It’s a few hours later – almost lunchtime – when Daichi runs into Io again in a hallway of the Tokyo JP’s facility. Thankfully, she seems to have forgotten all about their earlier conversation, because she's content to simply say hello and continue on her way.

“Wait a sec, Io,” Daichi says. She turns to him. “Have you seen Hibiki? I thought we could grab a bite to eat together, the three of us maybe, and just… talk or something. I don’t know.”

“Oh, didn’t you know?” Io says, eyes widening in surprise. “Hibiki went off to catch a train at 11. To Osaka, I think.”

“…huh? Really? What for?”

“By special request of Chief Hotsuin. He wants Hibiki to sit in on a meeting about Megrez, or that’s what Hibiki told me, anyway.”

“Huh?!” Daichi splutters. “What about us?!”

“Well, I don’t think he thought we were needed, so… we get some free time instead.” Io gives him a small, reassuring smile. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Argh, how can you be so calm about the fact that Yamato doesn’t give a rat’s ass about any of us except Hibiki?” Daichi grumbles, leaning back against a nearby wall and scowling. Io stays where she is, the perfect picture of modesty, hands clasped politely as always.

“I don’t think that’s true,” she says timidly. “I mean, we can all fight. We’re useful to him, at least. But we’re not as good at fighting as Hibiki is. Which… I don’t think is a bad thing, either. We’re still getting pretty strong. And… um… we’re not good at talking to the Chief like Hibiki is. I mean, I get all nervous, but Hibiki just acts like he’s talking to you or me.”

“Not true,” Daichi interjects. “He totally puts on this polite act for Yamato.”

“An act?” Io thinks it over. “Maybe. I don’t… I don’t think so. Hibiki always seems happy with Chief Hotsuin. The Chief seems happy too. They get along.”

“You think…?” Daichi mutters. “Maybe Yamato, but… Hibiki…? I’ve known him for ages, and… and… maybe you’re right. He’s trying really hard to make friends with Yamato, isn’t he?”

“So there’s lots of reasons why Yamato would choose to invite Hibiki over the rest of us, and no reasons for you to be upset about it, right?” Io says.

“…I’ll let you win this time,” Daichi grumbles, but he smiles at her, if a little wearily. “Would you… still be on for lunch?”

“Um, okay,” Io says. She’s not really the picture of enthusiasm, but maybe something good _can_ come out of Hibiki ditching him to spend time in a meeting with Yamato, Daichi thinks.

* * *

“So, why are we all here?” Daichi whispers to Hibiki, hoping Yamato won’t notice. Pretty much everyone Daichi actually knows in JP’s is here, with Yamato addressing their little group. Hibiki’s somehow managed to stand directly in front of him, so Daichi, ever the loyal friend, has reluctantly joined him.

“It’s an operation,” Hibiki hisses back.

“O-oh. Does that mean fighting?”

Hibiki doesn’t reply. He just continues to listen to Yamato with what seems to be his utmost attention. Daichi pulls a face at Hibiki, but he doesn’t show any sign at all of noticing. Yup, he’s definitely listening. Reminds Daichi of school. Hibiki's always been the one to actually listen to teachers.

“We have come to the conclusion that the three Megrez are capable of supporting each other,” Yamato is saying when Daichi tunes back in, figuring there’s no use in trying to distract Hibiki.

“What a pain,” Hibiki says. Daichi jumps. _Hey, you can’t just interrupt Yamato’s monologue!_ Or, as it turns out, Hibiki can very much interrupt Yamato’s monologue, because Yamato is smirking slyly.

“Yes. Very shrewd of you, Hibiki,” Yamato nods, and since when are they on first-name basis?

“Uh, wait. Hold up. Exactly what are you two on about?” Daichi asks, and it’s totally a reasonable question. It _is_. So why’s Yamato glaring at him like that? He squirms.

“…You’re disrupting the flow of our conversation. It’s very annoying, Shijima,” Yamato says crossly.

“I…” _What?_ “Um… s-sorry, then?” Daichi says, raising his hands in a placating gesture. Hibiki bumps him gently with one shoulder – a sympathetic gesture? – and Yamato tracks the movement before sighing.

“Fine. I will explain in simpler terms. Even if we defeat one Megrez, the others are capable of regenerating it.” Yamato goes on to explain the battle plan. Daichi has to admit it’s a good idea, even if the idea of splitting off into smaller teams is pretty nerve-wracking. Then, he tells them who each team will comprise of. The absence of Hibiki’s name is incredibly obvious and the silence that follows is an awkward one.

“Um… you’re missing someone,” Hibiki says, finally pointing it out since no one else is.

“Hm, so you noticed.” Yamato sounds pretty pleased with himself. “Looking back at Dubhe, Merak, Megrez… it was largely your involvement that led to our victory, Hibiki. So I thought it only right to let you have a say in the team assignments. Take your pick, then.”

Later on, after Megrez is long gone, Daichi can’t help but say to Hibiki, “You’re so spoiled. It’s like Yamato’s your sugar daddy, only he’s giving you missions instead of money.”

Daichi refuses to hold himself liable for the choking fit that ensues, Hibiki struggling to retort even as he doubles over and tries to catch his breath.

* * *

**THURSDAY**

It’s still really early, but Daichi’s always been pretty good at getting up early, despite all appearances. It’s Hibiki who’s always found it hardest to rise out of the two of them, Daichi often having to call him to make sure he’s awake before getting ready for school himself. So it’s no surprise that he can’t find Hibiki anywhere as he munches on some dubious granola-bar thing for breakfast. Seems JP’s are running rather low on food themselves.

Rather than wait around, Daichi decides to go out for a walk. It’s not long before he comes across a rather odd sight. Yamato, surrounded by a few of his JP’s lackeys, is staring thoughtfully into the sky. It’s a rather striking image – the Chief, his coat billowing and hair tipped back off his face, the pale early morning light reflected in his eyes. He’s the only still figure among the uniformed men and women that bustle around him. Yamato’s always seemed like a character right out of a movie, and especially so in this moment. No wonder Hibiki’s so keen to befriend him. It must be pretty thrilling. Like being the sidekick of a hero out of one of the games Daichi and Hibiki always play together.

Hearing someone coming up from the side, Daichi turns his head. “Oh, hi, Hibiki,” he says in greeting, suppressing the urge to laugh at the pouty look Hibiki’s wearing. When will he learn to get up early without looking so sour?

“What are you doing here?” Hibiki grouches. “I was looking for you everywhere and then Io says you went out already. So annoying.” Daichi laughs and bonks him gently on the head.

“Well… how should I put this? I found something weird. Look.” Daichi points over at where Yamato is still standing. Hibiki stares for a long time, longer than Daichi did, even. Then he rubs at his face, and Daichi realises he’s gone pink in the cheeks. So maybe this _is_ a hero worship thing, after all.

“He looks cool, huh?” Daichi says teasingly, knocking Hibiki with an elbow.

“Let’s go talk to him,” Hibiki replies.

“Huh? You’re gonna – hey, wait for me!” Daichi protests as Hibiki jogs off. Daichi, not wanting to seem so eager, just walks, grumbling under his breath. When he finally gets within earshot, Yamato and Hibiki are rapidly exchanging words about barriers and dragons and neurotoxins. As is becoming more and more frequent, Daichi finds himself unable to make sense of their conversation. He hangs back – no use in him interrupting them. They look pretty caught up in talking to each other, Yamato not even seeming to notice the JP’s member that’s trying to catch his attention by clearing his throat and making nervous gestures. Daichi feels pretty sorry for the guy.

Finally, the guy gets a word in edgewise. “Sir, that’s long enough. It’s dangerous here,” he says very quickly when Yamato and Hibiki’s conversation lulls. Just as he speaks, there’s a sudden _SPLAT_. Everyone whips around to look at a bizarre blob, pink and purple in colouring, that has appeared out of nowhere on the road behind them. While Daichi’s busy being totally confused, all of the JP’s members turn deadly serious, forcibly pushing Yamato back so he’s standing a reasonable distance away, right next to Hibiki. Hibiki moves closer to Yamato, enough that their shoulders brush together. The JP’s members surround the object and Daichi thinks he hears Yamato sigh.

Then everything goes to shit, because the blob explodes right in the face of the people who surround it, and they’re screaming, falling to the ground, their bodies contorting in agony. Those who weren’t hit run in, trying to drag the others out, and Yamato’s shouting, “You _imbeciles_ , stay _back_!” but it’s no use. Somehow, in less than a minute, they’re all dead. Daichi rushes forward to stand next to Yamato and Hibiki to find Hibiki grimacing and Yamato looking more thoughtful than upset.

“The Septentrione… here it comes,” Yamato says, and Daichi wonders how on earth he came to that conclusion.

“But where?” Hibiki asks, and the two of them are tipping their heads back in tandem, looking at the sky again. Daichi does too but finds it empty of any Septentriones. It’s a pretty clear day.

“Well, at least we know where the toxins are coming from. Those objects fall out of the sky and eventually explode, releasing poison into the air,” Yamato says finally, turning to Hibiki. “Hibiki, it isn’t exactly safe here, but this is a great opportunity to learn more about the enemy. Can I ask that you protect me as I obtain data?” Then, he finally seems to notice Daichi. “Ah, Shijima too. The more that can fight, the better.”

“What exactly are you going to do?” Hibiki says warily. “If it’s too dangerous…”

“I’m going to go to the fallen objects and use their co-ordinates to calculate the location of the main body – the Septentrione. It will not be an easy task, so I will be vulnerable. However, if we miss this opportunity, we may not ever have the chance to defeat the Septentrione. Whether or not I have your support, I will go ahead and begin my calculations now,” Yamato says coolly.

Hibiki closes his eyes. “Then Daichi and I will support you, obviously.” He turns to Daichi, even as demons begin to spring up around them, just to make the situation even worse. “Right?”

“Yeah, I guess we will,” Daichi nods, even though he's still reeling from watching so many people die right before his eyes. It's not like he has a choice about fighting if he wants to save face.

“Then I’m counting on you,” Yamato tells them, pulling out his phone. The other two move away from him, their own phones out.

“Listen, Daichi,” Hibiki says once they’re out of earshot. “I think we should destroy the fallen objects before they can explode. Otherwise Yamato’s going to have to do his calculations while standing in the middle of really poisonous air.”

“That’s true,” Daichi manages to gasp out as he dodges a blast of ice from a nearby demon. “But what about us? We’re goners if one of them explodes on us.”

“It’s up to you, but I’m going to try,” Hibiki says determinedly. “Look, there’s the next one,” he adds, pointing at a plummeting purple object. “You deal with the demons spawning over there, I’ll go take care of it. Good luck.”

“Hey, wait!” Daichi shouted at his retreating back. “Do you have a death wish, or something? Geez.”

But Hibiki, true to form, takes out the blob well before it has the chance to explode, and the next as well. It’s the fourth one where things go awry. A demon interrupts Hibiki as he’s on his way to destroying the blob, slowing him down considerably. By the time he makes it to the blob, Daichi can tell he’s pretty late.

“Hibiki, don’t-“ is all Daichi manages to get out before the blob explodes. Hibiki throws himself backwards, landing heavily on the concrete. Daichi can see, even from a distance, that Hibiki’s torn a hole in his sleeve, blood welling up on the visible skin.

“Hibiki, you _fool_!” Yamato shouts from where he’s just finished with the second blob. “Don’t go putting yourself in danger – it’s not worth it!”

Daichi is amazed at the contrast in Yamato’s voice compared to when he was reprimanding his subordinates. Back then, it was all scathing annoyance. Now… well, now it’s very genuine concern. But Hibiki still looks stung. He struggles back to his feet, glares at the puddle of oozing poison that the blob has left and throws himself back into defeating demons with a force unlike Daichi’s seen before.

It’s only minutes later when Hibiki does yet another uncharacteristically stupid (but brave) thing. Yamato’s just about finished at the third blob when a demon goes for him. It’s moving way too quickly for Yamato to do a thing about it other than brace himself, but Hibiki’s suddenly there, taking the blow with only a wince to show that it hit him hard. Daichi takes the demon out with a well-placed strike – he’s getting better – before noticing that the impact of the demon threw Hibiki right into Yamato, who’s now holding the other boy against his chest while taking care of a demon that popped up on the other side of them.

Hibiki’s gone bright, bright red. From shame or from whatever else, Daichi doesn’t know. What he does know is that he’s going to tease Hibiki like crazy for this later.

“You know, I _can_ take a hit. I’m not as frail as you might think,” Yamato says to Hibiki with a smirk. “But thank you. I suppose you’re once again proving you’re not anything like my trash subordinates.” He speaks quietly, almost intimately, but Daichi hears it all. It takes the two of them a suspiciously long amount of time to untangle themselves and get back to completing their objective, but Daichi, who is busy with another group of demons, doesn’t think much of it at all.

* * *

He’s not sure how it happened, the whole being a JP’s messenger boy thing. All he knows is that one second, he was waiting around to hear about countermeasures for Alioth, the next some JP’s guy’s telling him to track down Yamato and call him to a meeting. Problem is, no one knows exactly where Yamato is. So he’s just standing aimlessly by the Chief’s desk in the command room, hoping he’ll eventually turn up.

Someone does turn up soon enough, but it’s not Yamato – it’s Hibiki, surprise, surprise.

“Heya, Hibiki, seen Yamato around?” Daichi asks hopefully.

“You need him?” Hibiki replies.

“Well, yeah, I need to tell him to go to a meeting, or something. No one knows where he is though.”

Hibiki nods slowly, thoughtfully. “He’ll turn up.”

“Not helpful,” Daichi grumbles. He turns to the desk, wondering if there’ll be any clues there. “What _is_ all this anyway?” He picks up a piece of paper. There are words on it, certainly. Something about an initial report on Septentriones and power sources and wave functions…? Hibiki cranes over his shoulder to look at it as well. “Nope,” Daichi says finally. “I can’t do it. This is practically another language. It’s gibberish.”

“Shijima? My, I’m impressed.” Yamato’s voice comes out of nowhere and, quite understandably, Daichi just about leaps out of his skin, knocking Hibiki back a little bit.

“Gah! U-uh, it’s you, Chief.” Daichi chuckles weakly and glances back at Hibiki, who’s grimacing. _Sorry_ , Daichi mouths.

“You certainly are studious,” Yamato continues as if Daichi hadn’t said anything. “But those papers are old. I’ll have the new ones delivered to your room, since you’ve taken such an interest.”

Hibiki snorts. Daichi glances back at him again, this time to glare at him. “Um, that’s not going to be necessary, thanks,” Daichi tells Yamato. “I mean… that stuff makes no sense!”

Yamato raises an eyebrow. “What, are you a remedial student? It’s written in very simple Japanese.” 

“Well, excuse me! What sort of high school did you go to? Super Genius High?”

“I’ve never been to any school,” Yamato shrugs. “It was never necessary. I was already at college-level education in childhood. Beyond that, my education was handled by personal lecturers. That is simply the Hotsuin way.”

Daichi’s surprised by the sudden stab of sympathy he feels for Yamato. No wonder he is the way he is, always so cold and clinical. Hell, Daichi’s surprised that Yamato is as capable of interacting with others as he is if he’s led such a life. “…What a life. But man, isn’t that tough? You don’t even have time to be with friends,” Daichi says. He figures he’s allowed to say stuff like that, since he’s not officially JP’s or anything.

Yamato looks genuinely taken aback. “Friends?” he says, like he’s tasting the word for the first time.

“Yeah, like… you can’t do stuff like soccer or dodgeball by yourself…”

“I never had need for such things,” Yamato says firmly, as if it’s a silly thing for Daichi to say. Daichi doesn’t think it’s silly at all, though. He feels pretty bad for Yamato. He doesn’t know the life he’s missed out on.

“I guess it’s tough to be special, after all. Huh. Well, that makes glad to have had a normal life, even if school kinda sucks,” Daichi says, suddenly cheerful.

Yamato narrows his eyes. “…What?”

Daichi blanches. Maybe he shouldn’t have been quite so free with his words. He glances back at Hibiki helplessly, but Hibiki just gives him a funny smile. That’s when he’s struck with inspiration. “Oh, right!” he says very quickly, turning back to Yamato. “You’re meant to go to a meeting! Some JP’s member said… yeah! That’s why I’m here. Haha, ha.”

“Oh, I see.” But Yamato still looks troubled, arms crossed and forehead pinched. Daichi begins to back away so he can stand next to Hibiki. Yamato’s a little less scary from over here. “…A normal life…?” Yamato mumbles. Daichi wonders if he’s forgotten that they’re still there.

“I’ll show you,” Hibiki says suddenly – the first time he’s spoken up in the whole conversation. Daichi can’t help but gape at that. Yamato seems equally startled, and Daichi wonders if Hibiki’s finally overstepped his boundaries.

“Heh. So a civilian will be my tutor…? That certainly will be interesting,” Yamato finally replies, and his smile is oddly bright. More genuine than Daichi’s ever seen it. “I wonder, is there something in a ‘normal life’, as you put it, that produces strength like yours? I doubt it, but…” He looks at Hibiki appraisingly and Daichi notices that Hibiki’s shivering a little bit.

“Come on, Hibiki, let’s let him to go his meeting,” Daichi says, his voice overly cheerful, after the staring’s gone on for so long that Daichi feels profusely uncomfortable.

“Oh. Right.” Hibiki nods and the two of them leave, Yamato lifting a single hand in farewell.

* * *

Daichi feels pretty sick when Io raises the question of what happens to Sapporo if Alioth falls upon it. Yamato’s face is twisted into a cool, closed-off smile and the rest of the group has gone very quiet. Daichi really, really, for Hibiki’s sake, hopes that Yamato isn’t thinking what Io’s implying.

“Well, yes,” he says. “A valid question, Nitta. When Alioth falls… as you say, Sapporo will be destroyed.”

“Wh-what?!” Daichi can’t help his exclamation, but it goes unheard under the outraged shouts of Airi and Hinako.

“Wait…” That’s Hibiki now, looking uneasy, but his fists are clenched in unwavering determination. “Is there… even anyone there?”

Yamato turns to Hibiki and it’s as if the world has narrowed to just the two of them, everyone else dead silent and unmoving. “…That’s my Hibiki,” Yamato says after a long moment with a deeply satisfied smile. “As you’ve guessed, the resulting death count will be zero.”

Daichi almost says, _Did you_ really _just say ‘that’s my Hibiki’?!_ But he knows there are more important things to question other than the weird and rapidly developing relationship between those two. “But how can that be? How do you know?”

“It’s not that much of a surprise,” Yamato sniffs, once again looking irritated at Daichi’s interruption. “With demons on the rampage and civilians in such a state of unrest, there aren’t many places where people still _are_ alive.”

Daichi feels utterly sickened. But Yamato goes on to say some stuff about Tokyo surviving and Sapporo perishing that fires everyone else up, and that’s that.

* * *

It’s honestly a surprise to hear that Yamato is so willing to put himself in danger by going alone to Sapporo with Kama. Daichi thinks the chances of escaping without being crushed by Alioth seem pretty slim – he wouldn’t be volunteering himself for sure.

So Hibiki, of course, does. “I’ll go. You don’t have to,” he says to Yamato.

As always, every word that comes out of Hibiki’s mouth is an apparent delight to the other. “Haha! Your bravery shines through. But…leave this task to me, Hibiki.”

“But… it’s dangerous…” Hibiki frowns.

“Heh… and so what? Are you concerned about my well-being?” Yamato’s eyes are half-lidded, his smirk a challenging one. If Daichi didn’t know better, he would say that Yamato is flirting with Hibiki.

“…Yes.” Hibiki shifts from foot to foot, not meeting Yamato’s eyes. But Yamato’s smirk just relaxes into a fond smile, one Daichi only ever sees when Yamato is talking to Hibiki.

“So you’re being honest with me, huh?” Yamato steps closer to Hibiki and puts a hand on his shoulder. Hibiki looks up, his eyes very wide and very blue. Like usual, it seems as though the rest of the group has been forgotten. “Not everyone in JP’s thinks highly of me… I don’t blame them, of course. I must show that if my pawns won’t act, their general will take action. I refuse to be some brainless leader. So, Hibiki, you must let me do this.”

“Well, if you put it that way…” Hibiki pauses, then nods. “Good luck.”

“Did Hibiki just give the Chief permission?” Airi whispers into Daichi’s ear, and despite the odd, twisting sensation in his stomach at seeing their proximity, Daichi can’t help but laugh.

* * *

Daichi’s pretty impressed that Yamato’s thoughtful enough to give the team a feast after Alioth's defeat, but it seems like he’s the only one with food on his mind. Everyone else is muttering about uncovering the secret behind the black scar that’s enveloping the world, and how they’re going to ask Yamato about it. Everyone, that is, but Hibiki, who’s late.

“Oh, there he is,” Airi says suddenly. Indeed, there’s Hibiki, cleaned up after the fight with Alioth. His hair is a little tamer than usual.

“Where’s Yamato?” he asks, making the question sound very casual in spite the fact that he’s glancing around rapidly in search of the man.

“Uh… not here yet, I don’t think,” Airi shrugs after taking a quick look around herself.

“Oh, okay.” Hibiki smiles faintly at her before walking over to stand next to Daichi. Hey, well, at least he’s Hibiki’s second choice.

Yamato does turn up eventually, and it’s not long before the mood in the room goes downhill. Makoto’s confessing that she showed them the black scar and Yamato’s brushing it off with a scathing laugh and saying it’s inconsequential. Everyone begins to shift uncomfortably, waiting for someone, anyone, to press further.

“Why did you hide it…?” Hibiki says finally, and of course, he’s the only one with a chance of getting a rational response out of Yamato, isn’t he? But his voice is small, lacking all the usual confidence.

“Why? I didn’t think it was necessary. What difference does it make? You knowing about it won’t do anything to stop it.” Daichi doesn’t think he’s heard Yamato speak so coldly to Hibiki since their very first meeting, back when Yamato was quite ready to send them to a cell. Hibiki looks away, his expression troubled. Daichi notices he’s fiddling with the material of his hood in one hand – a nervous tic he’s had ever since he bought the silly thing. It seems as though everyone’s waiting for Hibiki’s response, but in the end he says nothing.

“If… you really want to know, I’ll tell you everything,” Yamato says after a long silence. And so he does – all about Polaris, all about its intention to destroy mankind, all about his own plan for restoring the world under a new order. He speaks with more authority than ever, his worlds harsh and emotionless, before leaving them to discuss their new knowledge. Hibiki, not even grabbing anything to eat, leaves shortly afterwards in the same direction.

It’s Io, at the end of the dinner, that expresses the everyone’s sentiments perfectly: “Are we left with no choice but to cooperate with Yamato?”

* * *

Daichi’s worried about Hibiki – he ran out without anything to eat and hasn’t been back since. It’s been about an hour since everyone else parted ways, so Daichi sets aside some food for Hibiki and goes out in search of him, since he’s not answering his phone.

It’s not long before he finds Hibiki. He’s with Yamato, and the two of them are being accosted by some Osakan street vendor, who forces some takoyaki into Yamato’s hands before leaving. Yamato looks down at the dish in consternation, but Hibiki’s laughing lightly. At this distance, Daichi can’t hear them, but it’s obvious enough Hibiki’s trying to convince a hesitant Yamato to dig in. To prove his point, Hibiki picks up one of the balls and pops it into his mouth before making an expression of contentment. Yamato watches closely all the while. It’s amazing how relaxed he looks after the tense confrontation a mere hour ago.

Daichi, rather amused by the spectacle, is just about to approach them when Hibiki takes another piece of takoyaki and waves it in front of Yamato’s face – probably trying to get him to smell it, or something. Yamato, rather than simply smelling it, leans forward and eats it just like that, teeth catching on Hibiki’s fingers. Daichi stops in his approach, then moves back to stand behind a vending machine. There’s no way either of the pair will respond well if Daichi shows himself. Hibiki, far from reacting to Yamato’s takoyaki-eating methods as Daichi would have (with shock and indignance, cause isn't that the _normal_ reaction to another man eating food out of your hand?), goes pink and laughs nervously.

They exchange some conversation, Yamato’s face lit up. Hibiki looks pretty radiant too, happier than Daichi’s seen him all week. It seems like Yamato liked the takoyaki after all, judging by the way he rapidly finishes off most of the dish. The last piece, he picks up before offering it to Hibiki, holding it delicately. Daichi, absurdly, takes note of the fact that he’s taken his glove off, and wow, that’s a first.

Hibiki eats the takoyaki from Yamato’s fingers. When Yamato lets his hand linger, Hibiki even flicks his tongue over the other man’s index finger, catching some of the sauce.

 _Nope. That’s it. I should_ not _be here_. And so Daichi leaves in a hurry, thinking it best if he just forgets everything he saw.

* * *

Hibiki’s oddly unimpressed by the Anguished One’s revelation of another way to restore the world without following Yamato. Daichi should’ve seen it coming, really.

“I’ll let everyone else know!” he tells Hibiki.

“Wait, Daichi, don’t-“

Daichi spins around. “Why shouldn’t I?” he demands.

Hibiki looks shocked. Well, of course he does. Daichi doesn’t usually blow up at his best friend, after all. He tries to relax his face. “Are you worried it’ll just cause more confusion? I think it’s better that everyone gets this knowledge, so we can make our own choices. Isn’t that fairest?”

Hibiki, as though helpless to argue, just nods.

* * *

**FRIDAY**

Daichi talks about meritocracies and egalitarianism, then he fights some baby Mizar, then he gets right back to the moral dilemma. Most people seem to be leaning one way or another but there’s a few that actually hear him out when he says that both sides are way too extreme.

Io, for one, tells him, “Daichi, you’ve got to stop them from arguing.” She’s with Hinako and Jungo, who nod seriously.

“How do you expect _me_ to do that?” Daichi splutters.

“Well, you’re the one who brought it up last night, so you’re in charge of this third way, you know,” Hinako says pointedly. “Is it just us right now? Where’s Hibiki? Surely he’s with us. You two are best buds, after all, and Hibiki’s a smart guy.”

“I haven’t seen Hibiki for a while, actually,” Daichi says. “And we haven’t talked about this yet. So I don’t know.”

“Isn’t Hibiki just over there? Look, see. He’s coming over,” Jungo says. “Hello, Hibiki!”

Hibiki simply waves as he approaches. “What’re you guys talking about?” As if he has to ask.

“Well, we’re wondering what we can tell Polaris other than to change the way the world works, you know?” Daichi says, scratching the back of his head. “You must think that Yamato and Ronaldo are both too extreme, right?”

Hibiki’s expression remains neutral. “I’m still thinking about it,” he says simply.

“Ah.” _But you’re not thinking about Ronaldo at all, are you?_ Daichi’s mind flashes back to Yamato eating takoyaki right out of Hibiki’s fingers, and Hibiki’s too-loud laughter. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on there, but Daichi would bet all the money in the world that he’ll never catch Hibiki doing anything of the sort with Ronaldo.

“Come on. This isn’t the time. We need to deal with Mizar,” Hibiki reminds them.

 _Nice way to avoid the question, buddy_ , Daichi thinks.

* * *

It’s after they’ve defeated Mizar that Daichi runs into Makoto and Otome. They’re talking in hushed, serious tones, so Daichi’s just about to walk in the opposite direction when Otome says, “Wait, Daichi! Come tell us what you think.”

“Still talking about Polaris and such, huh?” Daichi says glumly, but goes over to them nonetheless.

“I’ve thought about it a lot and I know what I’d support,” Otome says. “Makoto, too. And you…? You’re still trying to think of another way?”

“I guess that’s the best way to put it,” Daichi shrugs.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Do you know what Kuze’s intentions are?” Makoto says in her usual brisk way.

“Um… nope. He’s being pretty ambiguous.”

“He’s an incredibly valuable asset. He’s just about the only person out of all of us that everyone respects, so he holds a lot of sway. Whichever decision for mankind he picks…” Makoto sighs and trails off.

“You’re saying…” Daichi doesn’t even have the words. That Hibiki, plain old Hibiki, would be the one to define the ‘will of mankind’? It seems ridiculous. Yet, if the decision rests on the ragtag group that’s been defeating Septentriones, it suddenly makes sense.

“He gets along so well with Yamato,” Otome says with a gentle smile that contradicts her serious tone. “Chief’s practically a different person around him. He doesn’t shut up about him – it’s always Hibiki this or Hibiki that. And Hibiki’s not much better himself, always asking about Yamato. I… have to wonder…”

“I’m gonna go,” Daichi says quickly. “I’ll… see you two later, I guess.”

As it turns out, he can’t get away from Hibiki and Yamato at all. It’s a coincidence that he glances into a dark hallway that branches off from the hall his own room is in and sees two figures – one with a long, sweeping coat, the other with a familiar bunny hoodie. They’re both leaning back against the wall, and from what Daichi can tell, they’re standing close enough together that they’re touching all the way from their shoulders to their hips.

“You know that I’m hoping, more than anything, that you’ll join me and share in my vision, Hibiki,” Yamato says. “You’d be my right-hand man. We’d be unstoppable.”

“What… what will you do if I refuse?” Hibiki asks quietly, so quietly that Daichi has to strain to hear it. He’s not even sure why he’s still watching. They’ll kill him if they notice him. _But I have to know…! I have to know what Hibiki’s going to do._

“ _If_ you refuse?” Yamato laughs bitterly. “I can’t lie. I won’t give up on my ambitions, not for anything or anyone. So I would oppose you. But… it would upset me. You are, after all, my friend.”

The hallway is dark, but it’s impossible for Daichi to miss what happens next. Hibiki clasps Yamato’s face with one hand and kisses him, practically wrapping himself around the other man. Yamato, after flinching and going still for the briefest of moments, snakes an arm around Hibiki’s waist and reciprocates in full.

Even as Daichi’s leaving, stumbling over his own feet in his haste because of the sudden realisation that he has absolutely no right to watch, he hears Hibiki say, “Fighting you would be the worst thing I’ve had to do yet… and not because you’re so strong.”

 _Damn it_. Why, just why, did Daichi not see this coming? He slumps against a wall in the entrance hall of JP’s, not caring that there’s a guy giving him an odd look. There’s been so many signs that Hibiki _likes_ Yamato, like _likes_ him in the same way that he had that one girl back in middle school. So why has Daichi refused to see it until now?

 _Because you’re scared you’re gonna lose him_ , his mind taunts, and really, he does _not_ need to hear this sort of pessimistic crap from himself right now.

* * *

**TOWARDS HIERARCHY**

“So… we’re Team Tokyo, huh?” Hinako says. They’ve claimed the Tokyo headquarters – apparently Yamato’s group have cut off all associations with those outside Osaka, so they may as well – and are settling in. So far, it’s only Daichi, Io, Hinako and Jungo… but hell if he’s not hoping for Hibiki to turn up.

“Yup. It seems like Yamato’s group is made up of himself, Makoto, Fumi and Keita. And in Nagoya it’s Ronaldo, Joe, Otome and Airi. Kind of amazing how evenly we’ve split up, huh?” Daichi says with a nervous laugh.

“So… what’s Hibiki going to do?” Io says.

“He’ll… he’ll turn up,” Daichi says with a lot more confidence than he feels.

But Hibiki doesn’t, not even as the clock ticks past midnight into Saturday, into the seventh day. Not even as Hinako and Jungo go to bed, yawning because they're so sick of waiting.

“He… he isn’t coming is he?” Io whispers, wringing her hands in distress. “I really thought he would. He’s been at our side this whole time.”

“Maybe he really likes the idea of meritocracy,” Daichi says dully as he goes to write Hibiki an email.

“You sound pretty sure he’s siding with Yamato,” Io says, reading the email over his shoulder as he types it.

“What, you think he’s hanging in Nagoya, buddying up with Ronaldo?”

“…No,” Io admits. “He’s very fond of Yamato. I don’t know why. Maybe he sees something in him that none of us do.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Daichi says as he hits send. “He’s made his choice. Now we need to figure out how on earth we’re going to bring down Team Osaka.” He tries to sound optimistic, he really does. But how can he, when a fight against his best friend is imminent? How can he, when he’s been left in the dust in favour of Yamato, who Hibiki’s known for all of 6 days? Abandoned for a crush. How pathetic is he then, from Hibiki’s perspective?

* * *

And as he sees those two bearing down on him, Yamato’s grip on Hibiki’s wrist so very tight, he knows that it’s over for him and his little cause.

“I can only hope you’re right about this, Hibiki,” he mutters under his breath as Hibiki smiles apologetically. “The world’s in your hands.”

* * *

**TOWARDS CO-EXISTENCE (or, the true ending.)**

“So… what’s Hibiki going to do?” Io says.

“He’ll… he’ll turn up,” Daichi says with a lot more confidence than he feels.

But his fears are unfounded. Hibiki _does_ show up, albeit wearing a despondent face, his eyes red-rimmed. Hinako, Jungo and Io all cheer in relief when he says, “Okay,” to Daichi’s asking him to join them. Daichi thinks he’s relieved all the way to his bones, all the tension flying out of him. Unable to help himself, he punches Hibiki enthusiastically on the shoulder.

“I knew you were my best friend,” he grins. Hibiki’s responding smile is small, but genuine. He pulls Daichi into a quick hug – _oh man, awkward, you haven’t done that since we were in grade school_ – and then goes quietly to his room.

Daichi seeks him out a little later on to find him curled up on the bed in the dark. The phone screen lights up his stricken face.

“Um… hey,” Daichi says. “Is this a bad time?”

Hibiki just shakes his head. “Just got some hate mail. Deleeete,” he says with a smile, and the joke would be convincing if not for the fact that Hibiki’s bitten his bottom lip raw and red. Daichi wants to be happy that Hibiki’s trying to return to being the good-humoured guy he’s always been around Daichi, but it’s just so sad.

“I’m sorry,” Daichi says hesitantly. “I know… I know you and Yamato were pretty close.” Hibiki goes wide-eyed, and Daichi thinks about how he _really_ would rather keep his awareness of the kiss he’d witnessed secret, so he quickly adds, “You became friends, in the end, right?” And Hibiki nods at that, all the pretence at nonchalance leaving his face.

“He sent me an email, just now… he really didn’t think I’d betray him,” Hibiki whispers. “I feel awful, I really do. I’m probably the first person Yamato’s ever trusted. Probably the only person who’s tried to reach out to him. But… I just can’t support such an extreme way of thinking.”

“You’re your own person, Hibiki,” Daichi says, sitting down on the bed next to Hibiki. “Don’t apologise for following your own beliefs.”

Hibiki gives him a watery smile. “Wow, Daichi. You sounded pretty cool, just then.”

“Right? You don’t _always_ have to be the cool guy. I can be cool too,” Daichi laughs. “Um. But. Seriously. You’re right. Yamato does think the world of you. Otome and Makoto were saying that you’ve changed him, probably for the better, too. I think, for you… I dunno, maybe he’ll listen to your way of thinking, if you try.”

“You really think so?” Hibiki says dubiously. “He’s pretty set on his ideals. He’s had to live his whole life alone, wondering if devoting himself to Japan is really worth it. After living his whole life thinking that way, I don’t think he’ll change his mind just like that.”

“Well, no, that’s true. But, uh, you don’t know until you try, right? Cheer up, man. I’ll support my best friend all the way!” Daichi claps him on the shoulder before getting up. “Get some sleep, alright? Maybe if you go to bed now you’ll be able to get up earlier without tearing my throat out.”

“Very funny,” Hibiki grumbles. Then he smiles. “You really are the leader, huh? Checking in on your soldier. What happened to my wimpy Daichi?”

“Ha, ha,” Daichi says, rolling his eyes. “I’m going now.”

* * *

 “They’ve corrupted you, Hibiki,” Yamato hisses, and he sounds like a madman. “They’re like a cancer to you…!”

“No, Yamato, it’s nothing like that,” Hibiki says desperately. _Come on, Hibiki…_ Daichi thinks. _You’re the only one that can change his mind!_

“Then…” Yamato grits his teeth. “Then my personality drove you away? Forgive me. I had hoped…”

“Don’t be stupid,” Hibiki snaps. “I chose to go with Daichi because I can’t agree with meritocratic ways of thinking, not without having to justify it to myself with a million excuses, when in reality it’d all be for you. I… I believe in human potential, and to ask Polaris to change the very structure of our minds and society just to achieve some ideal? That’s turning our backs on humanity. That’s giving up on ourselves, isn’t it?”

Daichi wants to applaud, but Yamato just glares. “I see that we cannot agree on this matter. Fine. I’ll even fight you, Hibiki, if it means defending my ideals!”

Hibiki’s face falls, but he turns back to Daichi and nods. They can win this battle. And, by some sheer miracle, they do.

“Go on then,” Daichi tells Hibiki. “You’ve been a recruiting pro so far. Don’t let us down this time.”

Hibiki nods, takes a deep breath, and chases after Yamato.

* * *

When Hibiki returns, he’s with Yamato, smiling so brightly Daichi feels a little blinded by it. Yamato’s smiling too, more reserved about it but radiating quiet contentedness. They’re holding hands. That makes Daichi try to imagine them like any young couple, going to the movies or something, but… no, they don’t need to be like that.

Daichi watched them fall for each other, after all, even if it took him way too long to realise what he was seeing. He knows better than to think that they’re at all ordinary. He grins, waves them over, and gets ready for a whole new level of teasing.

Hibiki, even as he blushes, doesn’t let go of Yamato’s hand.


End file.
